LOS ANGELES, Calif. August 22 - Online games are a "playground" for organized crime and cyber criminals, said VP of technology and solutions at Trend Micro, JD Sherry, following the hacking of League of Legends North American accounts.
Since micro-transactions occur frequently in free-to-play titles, hackers are drawn to the platform and are capitalizing on vulnerabilities.
"Game platforms can have millions of users all storing sensitive information or code access for more features," Sherry said. " These are highly sought after in the cyber-crime underground for trading and selling in the black market. These platforms can fall victim to cyber-attacks just like any organization, especially if they have vulnerabilities that go unpatched.
"The most recent attack against League of Legends allowed for exfiltration of sensitive gamer details and financial information," Sherry continued. "Other attacks are done in a watering hole fashion: essentially infecting all or part of a gaming platform to then ultimately distribute malware once innocent victims access the site going forward. These types of attacks have even bigger consequences to the gamers if their systems or devices become infected."
Sherry offered 8 precautioner steps for players to take to ensure the security of their personal information:
1. Keep your gaming PC/device current with operating system and application patches (Java, Windows, Adobe)
2. Change your passwords to your system and the online gaming community with frequency (every 3-6 months)
3. If you notice any suspicious activity, always change your password to your account immediately
4. If possible, don't store any personal sensitive data (social security number, home address, date of birth) that hackers could use for fraud
5. If you have to retain a form of payment to participate, use a credit card (not debit) and one preferably with a virtual account number
6. Run frequent security scans on your own system to ensure no malicious programs have been delivered via the game client
7. Frequent user forums to raise your awareness regarding security issues with the community
8. Use a pre-paid cash card for in-game transactions
SOURCE: Polygon
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